It is full speed ahead for 2-year-old Nolan, and his family, as they settle in to new surroundings.

Playtime finds them at Atwater Park, not far from their new home in Whitefish Bay. The family just moved to Wisconsin from North Carolina.

"His was the first room that we tackled moving into the house. Like I said, trying to get him back into a normal routine," parent Alex Feix said.

The normal routine includes a regular sleep pattern.

"He's a much, a much more happy, well-behaved kid when he has a full night of sleep, and so we feel like that's important," Feix said. "Developmentally, we think it's important in the long run, too."

A regular bedtime may help a child's brainpower, according to new research out of the United Kingdom.

The study included more than 11,000 children, looking at their math and reading skills and spatial awareness.

It shows girls ages 3, 5 and 7 with regular bedtimes had better scores than those with irregular bedtimes. Boys had similar results.

"You just need sleep to consolidate all that you've learned and experienced from the day before, so that this gets, sort of, laid down in your brain as memories and so on; so you just need to have sleep for that," University College professor Amanda Sacker said.

But as a lot of parents know, getting a child into a regular bedtime routine is not always an easy thing, so WISN 12 News went to the Sleep Center at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. In rooms in the sleep lab, they will hook a child up and monitor their sleep patterns.

Dr. Louella Amos, a pediatric sleep physician at the center, told WISN 12 News both the quantity and quality of sleep are important.

"We believe that the deeper stages of sleep are important for cognitive development and also physical growth," Amos said.

Knowing the importance of a good night's rest, Amos said there are things parents can do to try and help their kids fall asleep -- such as taking a bath before bed, turning off all electronics at least one hour before bedtime, avoiding any stimulating activity, limiting or eliminating caffeine and keeping the room as dark and as quiet as possible.

"The most important thing is for the entire family to be on a good routine because even if one child has a routine, if another child is awake and loud, that will affect the other child's ability to fall asleep," Amos said.

Nolan is taking in his new surroundings, exploring and adjusting.

"He's been doing great, and we've been trying to get him back into his usual sleeping pattern," Feix said.

Pediatricians say toddlers need 12 hours of sleep each night, and 6 to 11 year olds need 10 to 11 hours of sleep. Most doctors recommend a bedtime no later than 9 p.m.

MOMS AND DADS- PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR LITTLE ONES SLEEP SCHEDULE. AS PATRICK PAOLANTONIO REPORTS, NEW AT TEN, PUTTING YOUR KIDS TO BED AT THE SAME TIME EVERY NIGHT, COULD GIVE THEM A BOOST IN BRAIN POWER, LATER IN LIFE. OH, THIS ONE. IT IS FULL SPEED AHEAD. ALRIGHT! FOR TWO YEAR OLD NOLAN, AND HIS FAMILY, AS THEY SETTLE IN TO NEW SURROUNDINGS. HIGH FIVE. ALRIGHT. CAN YOU DO IT AGAIN? PLAY TIME FINDS THEM AT ATWATER PARK, NOT FAR FROM THEIR NEW HOME IN WHITEFISH BAY. THE FAMILY JUST MOVED TO WISCONSIN FROM NORTH CAROLINA. ALEX FEIX/PARENT HIS WAS THE FIRST ROOM THAT WE TACKLED MOVING INTO THE HOUSE. LIKE I SAID, TRYING TO GET HIM BACK INTO A NORMAL ROUTINE. THE NORMAL ROUTINE, INCLUDES A REGULAR SLEEP PATTERN. ALEX FEIX/PARENT HE'S A MUCH, A MUCH MORE HAPPY, WELL BEHAVED KID WHEN HE HAS A FULL NIGHT OF SLEEP. AND SO WE FEEL LIKE THAT'S IMPORTANT. ALEX FEIX/PARENT DEVELOPMENTALLY, WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT IN THE LONG RUN TOO. REGULAR BEDTIME MAY HELP A CHILD'S BRAINPOWER, ACCORDING TO NEW RESEARCH OUT OF THE UNITED KINGDOM. THE STUDY INCLUDED MORE THAN 11- THOUSAND CHILDREN, LOOKING AT THEIR MATH AND READING SKILLS AND SPATIAL AWARENESS. IT SHOWS GIRLS AGES 3, 5 AND 7 WITH REGULAR BEDTIMES HAD BETTER SCORES THAN THOSE WITH IRREGULAR BEDTIMES. BOYS HAD SIMILAR RESULTS. PROFESSOR AMANDA SACKER/DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PUBLIC HEALTH AT ENIVERSITY COLLE U JUST NEED SLEEP TO NSOLIDATE ALL THAT YOU' ARNED AND EXPERIENC OM THDAY BEFORE, SO THAT IS GETS, SORT OF, LAID DOWN YOUR BRAIN AS MEMORIES D SO ON; SO YOU JUSTE HAVE SLEEP FOR THAT. PATRICK PAOLANTONIO/WAUWATOSA T AS A LOT OF PARENTS KNOW, TTING A CHILD IO A REGULAR DTIME ROUTINE, IS NOT WAYS AN EASY THING. SO WE CAME HERE, TO THE EEP CENTER AT CHILDREN'S SPITAL OF WISCONSIN. TRICK OLANTONIO/WAUWATOSA ROOMS LIKE THIS ONE IT EEP LAB, THEY'LL HOOK ILD UAND MONITOR THEIR EEPATTERNS. THE CHIN TO GOES DOWN RING REM. CTOR LOUELLA OS A PEDIRIC SLEEP YCIAN AT THE NTER, TELLS US BOTH E QUANTITY AND ALI OF SLEEP ARE IMPORTANT. . UELLA AMOS/PEDIATRIC EEPHYSICIAN, CHILEN'S SPITAL OF WI BELVE THAT THEEEPER AGES OF SLEEP ARE PORTANT FOR COGNITIVE VELOPMENAND ALSO YSICAL GROWTH. OWING THE PORNCE OF A OD NIGHT'S REST DOCTOR AMOS SAYS E ARE THINGS PARESADO TO Y A HELP THEIR DS FALL ASLEEP. KE A BATH BEFORE D. RN F ALL ECTRONICS AT LEAST E HR BEFORE DTIME. OID ANY IMULATINGCTIVITY. SO, MIT OR IMINATE CAFFEINE. D KEEP THE ROO DARK AND AS QUIET POSSIBLE. . UELLA OS/PEDIATRIC EEP PHYSIA CHILDREN'S STAL OF WI E MOSIMPORTANT TNG IS FOR THE ENTIRE FAMY TO BE ON GOOD ROUTINBECAUSE EN IF ONE CHILD HAS A UTINE, IF ANOTHER CHILD IS AKE A LOUD, THAT WILL FECT THE OTHER CHILD'S ABITY FALL ASLEEP. ME ON DNOLAN IS TAKING IN HIEWURNGS-PLOAND UHIGH FIVE AGAIN! EX FEIX/PARENT 'S BEEN DOING GREAT AND 'VE BEEN TRYINACHI ALEEIPE PRIORITY RIS PAS, TER 'GD.IN SHOREWOOD. . I-S-N, 12 NEWS. PEDIATRICIANS SAY TODDLERS NEED 12 HOURS OF SLEEP EACH NIGHT. AND SIX TO 11 YEAR OLDS NEED 10 TO 11 HOURS OF SLEEP. MOST RECOMMEND A BEDTIME NO LATER